with David Blaska

Madison is still waiting for whitey for its big race fix

(page 1 of 2)

Madison progressives are busy congratulating themselves these days for being liberal about race relations. They are celebrating the “Together Apart: Talking Across the Social Divide” panel discussion at the First Unitarian Society and the “Justified Anger” potluck at Memorial High School.

“Madison has been working on racial disparity issues … for nearly three decades,” writes the editor of the corporation that speaks as if it were a person. And for all of that time, progressives have been running the show. Not the Koch Brothers, not the Bradley Foundation, not ALEC, not Scott Walker nor a single Fitzgerald.

“This time, the city’s focus on race feels different,” Your Progressive Voice purrs. If you say so, The Corporation That speaks. If you say so. But you’re not telling me what is different, except that racism, as an issue, now is “on the radar of mainstream Madison.” That should fix things! The progressive white establishment is paying attention!

This time. They were only pretending to listen during the Race Study Circles of a decade ago.

It’s the same old, same old — only more of the same. At the risk of being called a racist (believe me, I have been called just that by Madison progressives), this aging white man says nothing has changed.

Racism, resentment, and redistribution remain the feedstocks of modern progressivism, along with the cult of victimhood. Nothing has changed when progressives insist on blaming the racial disparity in (name the ill) on some white people for not doing enough (not enough positive news stories!) and blame others (the bad ones) for doing too much. Nothing has changed when the solution involves still more government programs, still more coerced redistribution, still more blame gaming.

You want to talk progressive on race?

Take these easy steps.

Condemn NBA owner Donald Sterling (who, for all the idiocy that comes out of his mouth, does employs a few black people at high salaries). Condemn rogue rancher Cliven Bundy for same. Check.

These initiatives to deal with racial issues in Madison are worthless, says the guy who didn't go to the meeting and who disagrees with everything Democrats do because their Democrats.

Apr 30, 2014 03:10 pm

Posted by
David Blaska

And because they've had such outstanding success, right?

Apr 30, 2014 03:36 pm

Posted by
Anonymous

Democrats own EVERY ghetto in America as political turf, along with the high crime, murder, drug use, 73% illegitimate birth rate, joblessness and desperate conditions... all part of being trapped in welfare state failures on the Democrat liberal plantation for 50 years. Look no further than Detroit, Chicago, Washington DC and Milwaukee to see the kind of institutionalized cruelty liberalism brings to minority populations.

Apr 30, 2014 06:16 pm

Posted by
Anonymous

Dave, you're gonna make Nichols' head explode. But then the only folks nuttier than the editors & writers at the Cap Times are their fans that hang out on their boards praising their idiocy. It is fun to read the remarks from the insane.

Apr 30, 2014 06:42 pm

Posted by
Wizard

Dave, You're sharp as a razor and shooting nothing but 10-Xs; as usual!!! (Be careful on that bike, plz)

May 1, 2014 09:40 am

Posted by
Anonymous

This might be the least insightful verse ever to be scrawled on this, or any other, blog: Condemn NBA owner Donald Sterling (who, for all the idiocy that comes out of his mouth, does employs a few black people at high salaries).

Donald Sterling owns the least successful franchise in all of professional sports and he has done so while settling many lawsuits for actual racial discrimination. That he is an actual racist is denied by very, very few.

Can we engage in some business talk for a second? I mean, this is a business publication, right? Donald Sterling messed up by offending not just the talent, but also the customers and his partners finally had enough. When the NBA commish sought the owners' permission to ban him for life, he received rapid support. These men, some of the most successful businessmen in the country, understand what David Blaska does not, apparently. Donald Sterling condemned himself.

May 1, 2014 02:54 pm

Posted by
DonF

Wow. With all the name calling and sarcasm, it's hard to know where to begin but let's take one example. Dave points out the ill treatment of Mr. Bundy. This brings up one of those areas where I simply cannot understand so-called conservatives. If a poor person gets a few thousand out of welfare or a guy has to draw unemployment, he is a pariah and should be firmly dealt with. When a "business man" such as Mr. Bundy steals millions from the government and operates his business on the backs of others, he is a good business man and a patriot. Please explain!We need a strong conservative voice in government but we have gone so far around the bend that there is no room for discussion and rational thought. The name calling is colorful on both sides but doesn't fix anything.

May 1, 2014 03:14 pm

Posted by
David Blaska

DONF and the anon poster at 9:40 a.m., where did I defend either Sterling or Bundy? In point of fact, I called them an idiot and a rogue, respectively. My point is that it is easy to be a progressive on race — all you got to do is condemn the low-hanging fruits. By your reckoning, I advocated contributing money to the Democratic party. I didn't do that, either. But if you want to be a good prog, that's one way to become one. Do I condemn the court's decision on affirmative action? No, I endorse it. Did I Deep Six Madison Prep? No, I spoke before the school board and wrote in favor of it. But then, I'm not a progressive. Get it? Concentrate, people!

May 1, 2014 03:32 pm

Posted by
Anonymous

Congrats on what you don't condemn, DB. As for the readers, we're still wondering why you're condemning the actions of those who are attempting to solve Madison's problems. Is it their fault that while the conservative bench is deep in Waukesha County (but for Billy Kramer, it seems), the opposite is true here in Dane? If voters here should strike against the status quo and elect a conservative, which should they elect? As Walker says, you have to give them something to vote FOR, not just vote AGAINST. By the way, when a conservative does run for something more significant than Verona school board, do you also advocate that the Dems lay off the type of vindictive attacks that populate this blog?

May 1, 2014 04:14 pm

Posted by
David Blaska

I've offered my prescriptions to solve Madison's problems. (Those include Madison Prep charter school, a pro-business employer attitude, and attention to neighborhood quality of life issues.) You haven't — but here's your opportunity. You can start by telling me exactly how the White Privilege guilt session, the Unitarian gabfest, or the Justified Anger potluck are going to help anything. As for "vindictive attacks" start by not denigrating the city of Verona as "a subdivision." Stand and deliver! And put a name on your posts if you want to be taken for more than an anonymous bushwhacker.

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About This Blog

Raised on a farm near Sun Prairie, David Blaska is a recovering liberal who spent 18 years in daily newspapers, including 12 at The Capital Times in Madison as a reporter and editor. He served Gov. Tommy Thompson as acting press secretary in 1998 and is a veteran and survivor of 19 years in state government. He served 12 years on the Dane County Board of Supervisors. From December 2007 to November 2011 he wrote the consistently popular "Blaska's Blog" for Isthmus online's "The Daily Page" until, he says, the intolerant liberals ran him off. He blogs from Madison.